Panel rejects Leeds pub licence

CAMPAIGNERS AGAINST plans to turn a grade II listed building into a pub have won a major victory after the council refused to grant the developers a licence to sell alcohol.

The Elinor Lupton Centre, on Headingley Lane, was bought by national pub chain J.D. Wetherspoon in 2014 with plans to turn the site into a 500-capacity venue.

The move has been controversial with local residents who have long battled against the development. They claim a new “super pub” would be a nusiance and a potential threat to security in the area. The initial planning application to transform the former concert hall was rejected by Leeds City Council in 2015 but in September this year J.D. Wetherspoon won an appeal.

However on Friday a licensing panel decided not to grant a licence to sell alcohol on the premises following a hearing last month. In its decision document, the panel said: “ln the committee’s view, the application would be likely to add to the cumulative impact on the crime and disorder and public nuisance objectives.”

Chair of Headingley Network community association, Lesley Jeffries, said: “This is a triumph for common-sense and we are delighted that the council’s licensing panel made a decision favouring local residents over big business.

“The panel has recognised that this community suffers enough from the consequences of alcohol consumption and has put a stop to the expansion of vertical drinking in our area.”

A spokesman for J.D. Wetherspoon said: “We are disappointed with the decision but are grateful for the careful consideration given to our application. We are considering the full decision and will decide what our next steps will be once we have done so”

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